I remember when I heard about Linux. I had no idea what it was, and rightfully so, since I had been using Microsoft Windows for my whole life. It's hard to imagine something different when you have been exposed to only one thing for such a long time. Also to take note of...Linux just started coming out of the woodwork and into mainstream conversations, which is why you probably found yourself here.

I am a linux Newbie of a sort. I can figure my way around some, but not alot. I currently run a server for my website using Red Hat 8, Apache, PHP and MYSQL. I spent many nights trying to figure out how to install and compile programs. It just didn't seem right to me, not to be able to click a "setup.exe" icon and sit back and let the program install. I also found it weird that I had so much input needed while installing. With windows, I could leave the room and come back to reboot and finish installing. With linux, it wanted to know everything.

Linux wants to know everything because it is completely customizable. Anything you want it to do, digital wise, it can do and with little problems since it is Open Source. Open source is a great thing. It is what makes Linux different from Windows and Mac. Unlike the proprietary Operating System called Windows, Linux is free. Linux shares its code that runs the system. Linux makes it possible to detect security flaws, exploits, bugs and future advancements with the help of the Open Source Community.

There are many people around the world that check over the source code that is used to write/compile/make a program. These people are called "hackers" since they scour the source code in their free time, to help advance a project that will benefit the community. Linux itself is open source, meaning that the Kernel, which runs the operating system (passing instructions to hardware and back to software), is completely configurable. If you do not want something in there, or you need to compile the newest Nvidia drivers, you can do so. So basically, linux is different. It is not Windows. You cannot run windows applications in linux (if you get lucky you can use Wine or Vmware). You should not have to restart your machine after changing something small. You should feel safe when having your machine run smoothly for over 50 days+.

Two last things I would like to mention are as follows:

1) If you would like to try linux, there are many different routes to go. Those will be covered soon here, but in the meantime, there is so much reading that has to be done to understand the simple things. If you feel that you are lazy, and do not want to read, but instead pester BBS with questions about how to "log out" (I have seen this!), please wait until you can't stand the BSOD anymore. Linux is not easy, but it is productive. Read up!
2) And the most important thing for you to remember, if you want to keep reading and learn more about linux, is that you have to forget how Microsoft does things when you are sitting in front of a console.